Setlaole Our Home

In the Setlaole, before the advent of the white colonisers’ activities, the indigenous black communities lived in the area. Like in most parts of the south-western side of the Makgabeng Mountain, Setlaole area was occupied mostly by the Bakone. Those Bakone people lived in scattered settlements around Setlaole small mountain, while some of them lived on top of it. In addition to the Bakone who were in the majority, there were other communities of the Batšhadibe in the Setlaole area. Those communities at Setlaole were those of Ngwepe, Setumu, Ramoroka and Mojela. It must be noted that the concept of those identity markers of “surnames” is a relatively new phenomenon brought about by the European colonisers for effective control and administrative purposes over indigenous black communities. In the pre-colonial period, people were named differently, with no such surnames which are preceded by “Christian” or “white” names such as “Johannes”, “John”, “Tom”, “Dick” and “Harry”. Indigenous people had their names, praise poems and totems as identity markers.